Is it true all nurses get MRSA or C-DIFF?

Nurses General Nursing

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I was at work last night and the nurses were talking as if it was normal.

I love working in healthcare, but as you know accidents happen, like urine splashing on you/clothing, someone spitting on you or rushing in without gloves during an emergency.

I'm starting nursing school next year but seriously thinking its not for me.

They say, that all nurses get it? Is it true?

I wouldn't want to expose this to my family or other patients that why I practice good hygiene. Any insight?

Specializes in Critical Care.
Not all nurses have MRSA and C. diff, but all nurses can get MRSA and C. diff. Give some MRSA to your honey, some C. diff for nana. It could be the Christmas your family never forgets.

Love it! The gift that keeps on giving....all year long!

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Love it! The gift that keeps on giving....all year long!

I want those amoebas for my kids.

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I want those amoebas for my kids.

I got a poop pop just for you, my friend.

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSGwVw7npxo-SA0xAigEXfzTnhrtc2BzzBA1IJ218ZuuVL8dtRqmQ

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I want those amoebas for my kids.

I want them for my office.

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I got a poop pop just for you, my friend.

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSGwVw7npxo-SA0xAigEXfzTnhrtc2BzzBA1IJ218ZuuVL8dtRqmQ

Aw thanks. How did you know?!

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On topic. Last semester in micro when we were talking about C. diff I chimed in about the fecal transplants and how helpful they seem to be at recolonizing good bacteria. The students looked at me like I had 3 heads, but the professor and I had a great conversation about it.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I was at work last night and the nurses were talking as if it was normal.

I love working in healthcare,

but as you know accidents happen, like urine splashing on you/clothing, someone spitting on you or rushing in without gloves during an emergency.

I'm starting nursing school next year but seriously thinking its not for me.

They say, that all nurses get it? is it true?

I wouldn't want to expose this to my family or other patients that why I practice good hygiene. Any insight?

Most of us have MRSA lurking in our nasal passages. It doesn't cause any problems unless we're immunosuppressed for some reason. I've been admitted multiple times in the past few years, and usually they just tell me "You're a nurse. We already know you have MRSA, so there's no point in swabbing you."

C. Diff is a little different. My husband had a full blown C. diff infection that triggered ulcerative colitis. So he's now living with a chronic condition and takes Asacol four times a day. It flares every now and again, but mostly he has it under control. He got it by getting a face full of infected stool from a C. Diff patient with a sacral decub he was assessing. That's pretty extreme and extremely rare. I think you'll probably be OK.

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Thanks guys, I just freak out over germs. (I'm a germaphobe) Like every incident at work I freak out over. Like the other day, I was working with this lady and next day found out she had MRSA in blood and in her nose. Prior to that, I was in her face and she was breathing in mine and then my coworker shook her blanket out in my face and I told her to stop plus she had her grandkids in the room in her face kissing her.

My thing is I don;t want to pass things to my patients because their immune system are so low.

Like for instance, if they say we have MRSA in our nose, what happens when we are around kids and they're in our face, what happens when we blow our nose or touch our nose, and not sure if its mrsa in there and we are around our sickly patients. That scares me alot. I practice great hand hygiene but to be honest we don't know what everyone has off top.

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Specializes in critical care.
I did have a patient tell me that when he goes home he recieves home care and the nurses do NOT take proper precautions on a consistent basis . The information was not relayed and the PPE not supplied!! Horrendous

Hospitals provide and expect PPE usage by staff because staff will leave the room they are in and immediately go into the rooms of other likely immunocompromised patients. Does the patient know if the nurses and aides wash up, change their clothes, or save him for their last stop? Just because they don't glove and gown with him, doesn't mean their other patients are at risk.

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Specializes in Behavioral Health.
Like for instance, if they say we have MRSA in our nose, what happens when we are around kids and they're in our face, what happens when we blow our nose or touch our nose, and not sure if its mrsa in there and we are around our sickly patients. That scares me alot. I practice great hand hygiene but to be honest we don't know what everyone has off top.

MRSA isn't acid. You're covered in bacteria, which typically do nothing to harm you. Staph. aureus is on or in you all the time, and some of it may or may not be resistant to medications, but it's totally normal for it to be there. So, blow on kids or whatever, it's fine.

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So if you get a patient's who have mrsa blanket shakes on you in your face its no risk? And if its in healthcare workers noses patients are at risk

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I have been a e.r nurse for 13 years, im on medications that weakens my immune system and i have never had c diff or mrsa. However i do hear often that most healthcare workers are colonized with mrsa.

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